9ozlow protein all purpose flour such as White Lily or Southern Biscuit*(2 cups measured by whisking flour, spooning lightly into a cup and leveling off with a straight edge)
2teaspoonsbaking powder
¼teaspoonbaking soda
½+ 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1teaspoonOld Bay seasoning(plus a bit more for sprinkling on the tops)
scant 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
scant 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
3ozcold unsalted butter cut into 1/2" cubes(3/4 stick or 6 Tablespoons)
7ozcold buttermilk**(scant 1 cup) plus a bit more for brushing the tops
4ozsharp cheddar cheese, grated and divided in half (I used an aged cheddar from Wisconsin)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 450F for about 30 minutes before baking. Place your oven rack on the second-to-the-bottom level and if you have a pizza stone, put it on that rack.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, Old Bay, garlic powder and onion powder.
Toss in the cold butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the largest pieces are the size of peas.
Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk.
Using a knife or a couple of fingers, stir the mixture until most of the flour is wet and you have a very shaggy dough. There will still be some loose flour in the bowl. Worry not.
Liberally flour your work surface and dump out all the dough, piling the dry ingredients still left in the bowl on top of your shaggy dough.
Lightly pat out the dough into a square or rectangle until it's about 1/2" thick. It should be about 11"x8" or so. No need to be too precise. It still won't look like much. Worry not.
Take half the shredded cheese and spread it evenly on half of your rectangle of dough. It will seem like a very lot.
Using your bench knife or a large spatula, fold the "naked" half of your dough over the cheese. You may have to piece it together, but carry on.
Press and pat out the dough to the original size, turning it 1/4 turn.
Add the second half of the grated cheese to half of your rectangle and fold over the dough again.
Press the dough out to the original dimensions, trying to keep it as square as possible. Turn it 1/4 turn.
Now that all the cheese is in there, you need to keep adding layers, so fold the dough again, pat it out to the original dimensions, turn 1/4 turn. Keep repeating this for a total of 6 turns, including the 2 where you added the cheese.
Trim the edges of the dough with your bench knife or with a pizza cutter so you have an even rectangle.
Square biscuits mean less waste, so cut the rectangle into however many biscuits you want. I made smallish ones and ended up with 16 biscuits, each about 2" x 1 1/2". Cut yours as large or as small as you want. You can cut circles, but biscuits cut out of the re-rolls will be much tougher.
Place your biscuits on a parchment-or Silpat-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with buttermilk and sprinkle lightly with a bit of Old Bay.
Put your tray of biscuits onto the baking stone and bake for about 12 minutes (start checking at 10) until well risen and golden brown. If your oven bakes unevenly, rotate your pan after the first 7 minutes or so to promote even browning.
Let cool just enough that you won't burn your mouth and enjoy.
Notes
*If you're a biscuit fan, it's worth grabbing some White Lily or Southern Biscuit. If you only make biscuits occasionally, you can use cake flour or a national brand all purpose. I don't recommend King Arthur all purpose for these because KA's AP flour has a bit higher protein content than other all purpose flours.**If you don't have buttermilk, add a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to your measure (or bowl if you're using a scale) and then add whole milk until you reach 7 oz or not-quite-to-the-top-of-the-1-cup-line in a liquid measure. Stir and let sit for five minutes before using.